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The dangers of the modern swing as only Mike Austin could describe them. With all the injuries suffered by those on the tour, one can only hope that more golfers, pro’s and amateurs alike, find their way to the Mike Austin golf swing. Copyright March 2016 llenroc enterprises llc

There are many Mike Austin self-appointed guru’s/ experts out there that have, as Mike would say, “the damn thing wrong.” That’s hurting a lot of the guys and gals that are trying to learn the real deal. There’s a turn in the Mike Austin golf swing. It’s not just a shift. Why else would Mike Austin be saying to keep the rear knee and hip going until it reaches the big toe? That action is driving the swing. It’s a shift of weight and a turn.

I realize that everyone is clamoring for the hand action. And, it’s coming. But, I can assure you that the lower 6 joint issues are critical – not just the motion, but the angles. They have a direct impact on all the other motions. Done correctly, you can kill it even without adding the hand. Here is a tremendous video on the proper hip action. You can see the results in the swing when done properly. You can hear my reactions in the background. Our buddy, the student, also does a great job of describing the incorrect action.

Mike Austin’s secrets reside in the efficient movement of the muscles and joints. Mike had a keen mind. He used his background in kinesiology to ascertain the correct movements and then used mental imagery to efficiently and effortlessly perform those motions. Here, Mike Austin’s hands-on lesson highlighted the QL and the spinae erector muscle groups. More specifically, Mike demonstrated which spinae to activate. As a right handed player, the QL contracted the 12th rib of my left side down toward my left hip. The left spinae then provided the rotary motion allowing the front of my body to swing like a door in front of me. Notice the difference in motion when the player improper activates the right spinae.

From my second day of lessons with Mike Austin. The swing does not end at the ball – far from it. Keep the body moving. The ankles, knees, hips and belly button must continue to turn even after reaching the ball.

Sure, Mike Austin taught long drive pioneer Mike Dunaway how to crush it. But his gift of a free flowing, powerful swing was not limited to the Arkansas slugger. Mike Austin’s genius rested in taking doctors, lawyers, accountants, movie studio production people, authors and good old hardworking ladies and gentlemen and giving them incredible power and accuracy in short order. He despised the modern approach – keeping the feet attached to the ground and twisting the upper body above a stable lower body; spinning the hips; swinging the arms; and maintaining a bowed wrist at impact. Instead, he applied his expertise in engineering and kinesiology to golf – just as he did previously in his boxing career.

Check out the number of tremendous Mike Austin swing keys in this short clip.
These aren’t vague, esoteric swing motions. These are the real deal – precise movements that can be readily incorporated into your swing.
Don’t bend your knees as you push your butt back to take the address. Otherwise, you lose your height.
Raise the heel!!! How many times have I told you that while others refuse to correctly teach Mike Austin’s swing?
The left knee bends/flexes toward the ball.
The left shoulder lowers and the right shoulder raises in the back swing.
AND, for those that argue that the head moves, take a look again.
Better yet, listen to what Mike Austin taught: The head stays in the address position.
But, it only does so when you perform the individual movements of the Mike Austin swing correctly – as he taught it.
That was the genius of the man.

Here’s an example of the level of detail that’s in store.
So many people asked me how they can improve rapidly. I told them what Mike Austin did in his teachings. You can now witness it.
He had people hit balls with just the leg action. Forget the hand action at first.
You must build the foundation. You must go through Kindergarten. I know, I know. Sounds too elementary.
Guess what? You need to get it down. You need to own it. It’s like scales and chords in music.
There’s also magic in proper sequencing – the order in which you learn things.
Study this and practice it. It’s a fundamental to the golf swing and the short game. I will show you later how I failed to do this basic, fundamental move in the short game and the wrath that ensured.
So much is here. Despite what others have preached, notice the left heel raise and then the right heel raise.
See how the right knee continues around in a circular motion. See where it ends up. It’s NOT just a weight shift.
Witness Mike Austin ensuring the proper movement of the right knee.

To start the New Year with a bang I am going to give you a big secret of the Mike Austin swing.
It’s your belly button. Yes, your navel. Probably haven’t thought about it that much lately, have you? Unless, it relates to a New Year’s resolution.
However, it’s a major source of power. And yet, you will rarely hear about it. If you swing your belly button back and through you are activating and/or energizing many of the muscles that Mike Austin wanted you to utilize in the swing, including the internal and external obliques, the transverse abdominis, the glutes and the sartorius, just to name a few. The good news is that you don’t have to think about those muscles, if you don’t want to.
Just swing that belly button. The further and faster you move it (albeit smoothly) the further that ball will go.

It frustrates me to no end to hear people speak of Mike Austin’s instruction as if it was devoted only to power.
Note the effortlessness and accuracy (check out the barrel) of these partial shots utilizing the same motions and technique.
Also, note how Mike Austin had me practice – picking targets at various distances.

Get your game on and go practice these partial shots. You’ll be amazed at the effortless power and accuracy.

I wanted to share one of my golf treasures with fellow Mike Austin fans – some very rare footage.

Here is Mike Austin, aka, the golfing bandit, at age 90 hitting balls “on a string” one-handed for me during a lesson. At the time, Mike had an 80% loss of locomotion in his right arm and right leg due to a stroke. Fortunately, he had incorporated his improved swing tenets. Sadly however, most of his later lessons were restricted to his home.

Can you believe the power and accuracy generated with one hand, with virtually no pivot? It’s effortless power. Little wonder why Mike Austin’s long drive competitors commented that it looked like was “just playing with it”.

You can benefit from watching that action, over and over again. It’s an invaluable lesson in itself. There’s no cranking of the body. There’s no forced effort. That’s the beauty of the Mike Austin swing. It can benefit the athletic person and the not-so-athletic person, the strong and the not-so-strong, the young, and the not-so-young.

But don’t stop at just watching the clip. See if you can duplicate that action – with your left hand and then your right hand. Mike had me hit many balls one-handed. The resultant shots will tell you if you are properly using the hands.

As you can see, the name of the game is not brute force. The name of the game, as Mike clearly states, is getting impetus to the clubhead. He did that via a proper pivot and proper use of the hands so as to not impede the swinging clubhead.

One of the biggest misconceptions that I read regarding Mike Austin’s teaching is that his methodology was designed for power hitters and/or long drivers. Not true. Mike’s technique was not based on brute strength. Yes, it resulted in powerful shots, but it was based on effortless power and supple quickness, without the pain and strain normally associated with such shots.

Nor was Mike Austin infatuated with distance. Mike constantly reminded students about tempo. Further, he was very interested in a student obtaining a nice “cruising speed” where there was a “nice reward for the amount of energy expended”.

Here’s an example of a great swing at a wonderful “cruising speed”:

(BTW, this was the student’s first lesson with Mike Austin. I watched the entire lesson unfold before my very own eyes and my camera – from set up to puring the ball – all in the course of one hour. The most amazing lesson I have ever witnessed.)

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Welcome! This blog reveals the true, never before released, secrets of golf's longest hitter, Mike Austin. It is the accumulation of hundreds of hours of taking and observing lessons directly with Mike. These are the keys to unlocking effortless power in your golf swing. Enjoy!

"I don't know anybody on the Tour that can hit the ball like that!" Mike Austin about Chuck

This blog reveals the true, never before released, secrets of golf's longest hitter, Mike Austin. It is the accumulation of hundreds of hours of taking and observing lessons directly with Mike. These are the keys to unlocking effortless power in your golf swing. Enjoy!